Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Whirlwind Weekend, Part 2

Let me tell you a little more about my saturday.

I have passed this lawn mower track every time I drive home from school, and vice versa. I've always wanted to go to a race. So I did!
Partly because some of my friends are making a documentary,
but partly because I just wanted to experience some southern entertainment with Colton and Bryce.
I am truly a southern girl. Not in music preference, accent, or bar frequenting, but in nearly everything else.
I love fried foods. I love southern literature (excuse me, Flannery OConner. How are you such a genius.). I love lazy days on the dock across the street. I love the characters you meet at Lawn Mower Races, or Powwows (soon to be featured on my blog). I love the warm nature of the people. I love the hospitality. I love how beautiful my surroundings are. Let me just say, Tennessee is the loveliest country. Actually, anywhere in the Deep South. Have any of you seen the documentary Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus? I highly, highly reccommend it. It really does capture the strange side of the spirit of the South, especially in regard to the intersection of the violent and spiritual.

As for the actual race, it's apparently a much bigger deal than I originally thought. This particular race is, I think, the one before the semi-finals, before the nationals in November. Which I am most certainly attending.
These racers have travelled all over the country. I thought that it was strictly a southern sport, but there are tracks in all 50 states. There were even some racers from Canada.

This one guy, Delaney, (pictured below) has raced all over for years, and has won 19 majors. The New York Times even covered his story once. When the guys interveiwed him for the documentary, he asked them if they wanted to meet his rival. "That guy over there," he said, "is Superman." They're best friends. There's such a familial aspect to these races. Everyone knows each other. The lady that let us in told us who was racing by their states, not their names. "The Alabama crew's here all the time. The North Carolina's are here too... we're not gonna go there. We've got Kentucky, Georgia, and I think Mississippi. In November Canada'll come, and all the Northerners. Oh yeah, they come from all over."

Delaney Smokes 'Em.

A Faithful Observer.

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Happy to Be Here.

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Tommy Daniels Himself.

Tommy asked to take this picture of me on his mower (which, by the way, can go up to 75 mph.) How could I refuse?